Engine-starting device.



c. E. SAR GENT. ENGINE STARTING DEVICE APPLICATION HLED JUNE 19. 191 l- 1 1 2 193 Patented Nov. 30, 1915. 7 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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wLUMBIA PLANOGRAIN 410.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

C. E. SARGENT.

ENGINE STARTING DEVICE, APPLICATION mm JUNE 19. I91].

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Unirn CHARLES E. SARGENT, or carcass; iL'LriToIs.

ENGINESTARTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov; so, 1915.

Application filed June 19, 1911 Seria1No. 63 4,040

To all whom it may concern. H

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. SARGENI, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine starting Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. is

My invention relates to starting internal combustion engines by means of compressed elastic fluid and the principal object is to provideverv simple devices whereby the engine may be started by simply opening an ordinary valve which may be closed if desired after the engine has begun to act as i an explosion engine, or may be left open to supplement the power derived from the explosions when the engine is overloaded, the fiuid under pressure being automatically cut off when it is not needed. P

In the accompanying draWings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing a portion of a horizontal engine with my devices in position'thereon. Fig. 2 shows in axial section a portion of a vertical engine provided with a modified embodiment of thesame invention. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33, Fig. 2. Fig. L is a section on the line t4, Fig. 3. s

In Fig. '1, A represents the cylinder of a horizontal engine, B the usual side or cam shaft, C a cam thereon, D a pivoted bellcrank lever carrying at its outer end a roller E to meet the cam and at its other end pivot: ally connected to an outwardly open hollow plunger F which contains a helical spring Gr and works in a small cylinder H communicating through a passage I with the interior of the engine cylinder A. The plunger is provided with a shoulder or offset F which, when the plunger moves nward, meets the outer end of the small cylinder or other stop limiting themovementJ At its inner end, the plunger preferably bears an axial extension F which is axially bored to form a slidingbearing forthe stem. J of a valve J for closing the passage 1. The

stem extends axially through the' spring and at a point beyond the plunger bears a collar J resting against the outer'end of the spring and adjusted in position'by means of nuts J The collar limits the outward movement of the plunger, which when moved outward against the collar holds the valve firmly closed. A passage controlled by a valve KT, serves for 'admitting elastic fluid under pressure, from a reservoir or other source of supply, tothe cylinder H whenever it may be desired. Whenever the valve K" closed, the starting devices are out of commission, the spring holding the valve J. closed and the roller E slightly outside the path of the cam, and the spring being strong enough to resist the slight suction tending toopen the valve J during the admission of a combustilole charge to the engine cylinder, the engine may act indefinitely as if no starting devices were provided. i

,When the valve K is opened, the elastic fluid under pressure enters the cylinder H and forces the plunger slightlyoutward 7 until the roller rests uponthe'high portion of the cam and also opens thevalve" by overcoming the resistance of the spring, so that the compressed fluid enters the engine cylinder and forces the pistontherein to move as in a working stroke. This move% ment causesthe side shaft and cam to rotate, whereby, at the .end of the power stroke,- the highportion ofjthe cam moves from roller supporting position and since thearea of the working face of the plunger F exceeds that of the valve and the cam now offers no resistance, the plunger is immediately forced outward against the collar upon the valve stem, thusclosin'g the valve J and holding it closed, ordinarily, until the roller is again pushed outward by the cam,- provided the valve ,K be notclosed mean-' time. I prefer to have the pressure of the elastic fluid slightly exceedthat of the com pressed explosive charge, but itis obvious that this fluid will not enter the engine cylinder unlessthe pressure in the engine cylinder plus the tension of the spring falls below' the pressurein the small cylinder. If

the compressed mixture is not ignited; when the valve J is allowed to open, compressed fluid will flow into the cylinder until the roller .leaves the cam, just as is the case in starting; I

Whether thestartin'gvalve is in commission of not, the engine,- wheninoperation,

tible, or if for any cause the pressure within 11.3

the cylinder drops below the pressure of the starting fluid, the valve J will 'open and allow the compressed fluid to flow into the cylinder.

lVhen the cylinder is working normally 'K open after the engine is up to speed. If,

however, the engine during'lightloads be permitted to store fluid under pressure, the store of fluid can beused to increase the power of the engine later when the latter is loaded beyond its normal capacity by simply opening or leaving open the valve K, thereby returning ,to the engine some of the power which it has stored while under light load. Usually, then, as soon as the engine is Working under its own impulses, the valve K is closed, and the starting devices cease to act, the roller being outside the path of the cam, and the spring holding the valve J I closed indefinitely.

In FigsJQ, 3, 4, A represents the cylinder of a vertical engine, A the power shaft, A the inlet' v alve, A the exhaust valve, both valves being operated by cam devices X, without'novelty, supported upon a fixed stud Y'and actuated from the power shaft by means of gears Z. H." is a small cylinder in which works a hollow plunger F 3 provided with a forked stem F bearing at its lower end a roller E, in the plane of a cam C, driven by the'gears Z, and normally slightly outside the cams path. The plunger contains a spring coil G2 which presses against a collar J adjustably fixed upon the stem J of a valve J 6 controlling a passage from the small cylinder into the engine cylinder..

Elastic fluid under pressure is admitted to the small'cylinder'through a conduit K controlled as before by a valve (not shown). The compressed fluid being admitted to the small cylinder, the plunger therein is forced slightly down so that the roller meets the higherportion of its cam and the valve J is forced open, the'spring yielding, and the fluid enters the engine cylinder. 7 When by the movement of the engine piston the cam is rota-ted so farthat the roller is not supported, the excess of pressure upon the plunger moves it outward and thus closes the valve J So long as the fluid under pressure is not cutoff, the engine works as in the case first described, the action and advantages being slmilar, and when the compressed fluid is cut off the roller rises from the path of the cam and the whole device is.

out of commission. It is obvious that with either form, explosive gas being cut oil from the engine, the engine may work as a simple compressed fluid motor instead of acting as an internal combustion engine, and also that the same devices may be applied, with certain additional advantages, to all the explosion cylinders of multiple cylinder engines.

Inpractice, it has usually been applied to both opening pressure and closing pressure from the fluid in the conduit, a. spring resisting the opening of the valve with a force less than said opening pressure, and an engine actuated member arranged to move periodically into and out of position for receiving said closing pressure and relieving the valve therefrom, whereby the opening pressure overcomes the force of the spring and opens said valve. s

' 2. In apparatus ofthe class described, the combination with anengine cylinderprovided with a conduit for admitting coinp ressed' fluid thereto, of operator-actuated means for controlling the flow of compressed fluid into said conduit, a valve controlling the passage of fluid from said conduit to the. cylinder, a plunger arranged for moving, under thep'ressure of fluid in said conduit, to position for resisting the opening of the valve by the pressure of the fluid, and automatically operating means forperiodically moving the plunger from such resisting position.

3. .The combination with an internal combustion engine provided with a port for admitting fluid under pressure, a small cylinder alining with said port and communicating therewith, a plunger working in said cylinder, a valve controlling said port and having a stem extending through said plunger and providedwith a stop beyond its bearing in the plunger, a spring interposed between said stop and plunger, an engine actuated cam, and means whereby the cam in its rotation resists outward movement of the plunger at points varying with its own position, and valve controlled means for admitting compressed fluid to said cylinder.

7 4c. The combination with an internal combustion engine provided with a port for admitting compressed fluid, of a small cylinder alining and communicating with said port, aplunger working in said cylinder, a

stop limiting the inward movement of the plunger, a valve, forclosing said port, provided with a stem having a sliding bearing in said plungerand a plunger-engaging stop beyond the latter, a spring interposed between the'plunger and the stop last mentioned, an engine rotated cam, a roller in the plane of the cam and normally outside its path, means whereby slight outward movement of the plunger moves the roller to said path, and hand operated means for admitting compressed fluid to said cylinder.

5. 'lhe combination with an engine cylinder, of a compressed fluid chamber communicating with the cylinder through a ort a valve for said oort a iston arran ed in the chamber for outward movement limited by the'valve, hand controlled means for admitting compressed fluid between the valves and piston, and engine operated means, arranged to be brought into action by the outward movement of the piston, for forcing the latter inward at intervals, whereby it becomes an abutment for Valve-opening air pressure.

6. The combination with an engine cylinder having an admission port and a valve controlling the same, of a compressed fluid chambercommunicating with said port, a piston, in said chamber, and adapted to engage, at the outer limit of its path, the valve and resist its opening, hand controlled means for admitting compressed fluid to said chamber between said port and piston whereby the piston is moved outward into engagement with the valve, and engine-operated' means for periodically forcing the piston inward to free the valve and serve as an abutment for valve opening pressure of the fluid.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. SARGENT. \Vitnesses:

WM. OsBoRN, ALEX. M. BERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). G. 

